Using Mindfulness to Manage OCD
Mindfulness is an excellent tool for managing anxiety disorders, which includes the tricky diagnosis of OCD. Mindfulness is a tool and technique for paying attention to the present moment and what one is experiencing- thinking or feeling- without judgment, or getting “hooked” or caught by those thoughts, feelings, or stories. Here are 5 ways to utilize mindfulness to decrease OCD symptoms that can plague us and cause us to suffer; mindfulness offers a freedom that becomes more prevalent the more we practice.
Noting Practice
A noting practice is a specific kind of meditation geared at noticing what arises in the mind and body, and then letting it pass. Sometimes metaphors can be useful in developing this skill, such as a Pond or a Sky. Cosmic Kids Zen Den has an excellent video for children and adults alike called, “Be the Pond” which can teach this skill. Essentially the idea is that you are a pond and your thoughts and feelings are fish which swim by– the practice is to notice the fish, label the fish, and let them pass without “becoming” the fish. In the sky metaphor, you are the sky, and your thoughts and feelings are clouds that come and go. In these practices, as you become more comfortable or advanced at the noting practice, you can see the clouds or fish coming, notice them arrive, and watch them move on. This can prove very helpful when managing obsessions that often take over one’s entire experience.
2. Create an OCD Character
Once you’ve gotten the knack of externalizing your OCD and being able to notice it through noting practice, you can take the externalization a step further and create a character for your OCD. Your character includes a name and some kind of visualization. It helps to draw the visualization; don’t worry you don’t need to be an artist, you just need a crude image to help you see your OCD as a separate entity, which– you don’t have to listen to. Noticing your “OCD Monster” and not becoming it, can be a very empowering skill, and help you to decrease the prevalence of engaging in compulsions.
3. Learn to Manage Discomfort
Once you’ve got these two skills– noticing and externalizing your OCD, you can begin to practice managing the discomfort that arises from these practices. It can feel very difficult to notice compulsions but not engage! It’s not so much that you let thoughts and feelings go– but that you let them be– let them be there without acting on them. Often your OCD symptoms can spike when dysregulated, so it can be helpful to see OCD symptoms as a signal to regulate your nervous system and engage in some kind of self-care. You can try parasympathetic breathwork- a fancy name for nose breathing- or some form of exercise or activity that gets you out of your head and into your body. You can also challenge yourself to just sit in it! Right there on the spot. Being cognizant of the present moment also helps– relaxing into the present instead of getting caught up in past or future; the present moment often has a lot of peace to offer us.
4. Notice “What if” Statements
Have you noticed that your OCD often frames obsessions with statements beginning with “What if?” “What if I didn’t turn off the stove… what if I hit someone with my car… what if I have a terrible illness… what if my partner leaves me?” OCD is rooted in this kind of speculative doubt and concern. Begin to notice the correlation between “What if” thoughts and OCD obsessions. This can help your labelling practice even further.
5. Practice Self-Compassion
OCD is a difficult disorder to manage! Practice being kind to yourself as you work hard to decrease obsessions and compulsions. Try listening to resources like Kristin Neff on Self-Compassion or Tara Brach on Radical Self Acceptance. Forgive yourself often and easily so you can be resilient in the face of learning to overcome compulsions. If you are struggling, reaching out to a therapist for support can prove helpful.